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Pioneer Pot Luck recipes

Posted: September 3, 2013 - 3:17pm

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PENNE PASTA CASSEROLE

This is from my sister Ginger who served this at a family reunion in La Salle, Colorado. My other sister, Elaine and her family put the reunion on every year, the second week in August, for all the McClure-Cogswell relatives. I was lucky to be able to come from Alaska to attend with my grandson Grey a few years ago. We sure had a good time and the food was excellent, including this wonderful casserole.

This makes two 9 x 13 pans. Bake one and freeze one.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 mild Italian sausages, casings removed

3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed

12 ounces of rigatoni pasta

2 1/2 cups marinara sauce-use your favorite

2 medium tomatoes diced

1/2 cups basil leaves fresh chopped coarsely

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

16 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese sliced

Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the sausages in olive oil. Prepare the pasta as package suggests. Assemble all ingredients and mix. Spoon into 2 large 9 x 13 dishes and top with fresh mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. until cheese melts.

MEXICAN THREE BEAN SALAD

I made tons and tons of this at our restaurant-bar in Eagle River. I used the large industrial size cans to make this salad almost every other day. Today I use the regular cans of beans. I have no idea why this is called “three bean salad!”

1 can cut yellow wax beans-drained

1 can cut green beans-drained

1 can red kidney beans-drained

1 can Pinto chili flavored beans-do not drain

1 can of kidney beans drained

1 can a garbanzo beans or black beans can be added-drained

1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion

1/2 to 1 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

Add chopped jalapeno if you’d like.

Heat 1 cup of water with 1/3 cup cider vinegar and 2 tblsp sugar

Stir in one package of dry chili mix or taco mix-make sure it is dissolved and pour over beans. Cover and set aside until cool and then refrigerate.

MOOSEBALL SOUP

Moose season is upon us and this is a good way to take care of some of the mooseburger. Tasty too!

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 pounds ground Moose meat

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 small onion grated or chopped fine

Mix until well blended and shape into 1 inch balls. Place in a Dutch oven and brown with a small amount of vegetable oil. Remove and set aside.

In the same pan with 1 tablespoon of oil sauté:

1 chopped onion

3/4 cups sliced mushrooms or one small can mushrooms drain

Sauté until onions are soft.

Add

2 cans beef broth

1 can stewed diced tomatoes

5 cubed red potatoes with skins on

Bring to a simmer for 5 min. and then add the browned mooseballs.

Simmer slowly, until potatoes are done about 30 min. Adjust for salt and pepper. Good with buttered sourdough bread

BETTY’S COLESLAW

Betty told me she never wrote down this recipe. I wrote it down while she repeated it to me.

Large head of Cabbage finely shredded with a sharp thin knife, like you would do to process sauerkraut.

Grated carrot for color

Place in large bowl and salt the cabbage lightly. Mix.

Mix in a small bowl the following:

3/4 cup to 1 cup Best Food Mayonnaise – she insisted it be Best Foods!

1/2 cups milk (I use buttermilk sometimes)

Stir to blend

Mix in:

1/3 cups apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar – depends on how sweet you like it – increase to 1/3 cup.